My First Official Hike

We all have that one friend that exaggerates everything! lol Prior to trying out hiking, my friend had gone for a hike and told me it was the most horrible experience she had being through in her life, in her words I almost died!!! it got to a point where I started using my bum to come down the hill, you don't want to do this Anne''. To be honest I was scared but the competitive spirit in me was ready to take the challenge up. I started looking out for hike groups and eventually I came across Strides Adventure Club on Instagram, a friend had posted a picture of his hike and I got really interested and so my journey to hiking in the beautiful city of Abuja kicked motion .

On the beautiful set day of the hike to Arab hills I got to the rendezvous point, the weather was rather pleasant and i set out to have a good time, I called my friend and he said he wasn't coming! jeez I almost had a panic attack, I literally didn't know anyone there and I was by myself (the club members were nice, they said hello and tried to know my name but I really did not feel like socializing at that point in time oops my bad). I already started regretting till I looked and saw 2 people I knew...wheeeeew it was such a relieve fam!

My Friend is such a poser!

We started out climbing and Oh boy my legs were hurting like crazy, we had not gotten anywhere and I was already gasping plus I wasn't working out before then so I really wasn't fit but i cannot come and carry last lol i was born to conquer the climb😏. Initially, I was at the back but with time I was able to catch up with the gingerlies 🙆. We got to the top in about 50 minutes or thereabout and I was just taken away by the view💕💕 at this point I totally forgot about the pain spewing in my joints. The club was very friendly, I introduced myself along other new members and we played some games, listened to music, ate and enjoyed the scenery to the fullest.  

After we got to the top!

what could i possibly be thinking about? Lol 

Good time!

I was actually impressed by the number of youths that showed up

I did something different and i was proud of that moment! I honestly did not want to leave the hill because of how great it made me feel, it's really refreshing to be away from all the noise and chaos of normal everyday life!

Climbing all done and dusted, it was time to get back down and oh boy it was a struggle i kid you not, my footwear wasn't helping my predicament as it was kinda oversize but with the help of some gentlemen in the group i was able to conquer the struggle and i am happy to tell y'all that hiking is an added activity to my life. I am on a journey to conquer greater mountains and adventures as time goes! 😎

GENERAL TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

• Join a hiking group, saves you a lot of stress plus you get to meet people with similar adventurous interest.
• Take a water bottle, it could really get exhausting and water helps you level up 
• It is very important to get proper footwear with good soles, oversize footwear is a no no
• Do not pack in excess, take only what you need in your backpack!  
• Take along Food/snacks, you could get hungry at the top 
• It is not a competition of who gets to the top first (although it feels great to be among the first climbers 😏), take rest intervals to catch your breathe 
• Pictures are for creating wonderful memories, take along a good camera 
• It is advisable to work out before hand, you do not want to give your bones the big shock lol
• Remember hiking takes a mind set, tell yourself that you can do it! 

If you are in Abuja and looking for an amazing team of hikers to join follow @stridesng on Instagram. All the detail you need is right there plus they organize other activities like overnight camping, travels, tours, outdoor events and much more.

It would  really be nice to share your hiking experiences in the comment section, i look forward to learning from you guys as well! Thank you for reading this post, i hope you find it useful.